BrezoiRO

Brezoi sits within the Southern Carpathian mountains, between the regions of Transylvania and Northern Oltenia. The mountains around the village are steep and forested, and managed as common land. Under communism, the existing timber industry was massively extended, with a large factory built in the village, along with residential blocks, next to the older and much smaller family homes, each with their compact gardens, sheds and vines. Meadows and fields extend into the village.

Local struggles are familiar to many other European rural areas: not-so-obvious economic prospects, young people leaving for the cities or abroad, and a stark disconnection between the rich natural resources and opportunities to create sustainable livelihoods. In 2018 a new Open Air Blues Festival started to put Brezoi on a national and international map, creating a new visitor economy.

In 2022 the TERRRA Network - initiated by Atelier d’Architecture Autogérée (AAA) as an expanded network of the previous initiatives such as the Eco Nomadic School – organized the collective purchase of a small house with adjusting meadows and woodland.